Hoping to break this dependency is Crush, a locally owned brand started in 2014 by Ismael Menacho Pérez, whose family business — leather supplier Curtidos Menacho — has existed in Ubrique for generations. The influx of affordable luxury brands has helped Ubrique grow economically, and kept the industry alive, says Menacho Pérez. Now, those same brands need to make sure they are preserving the quality and craftsmanship that attracted them to Ubrique in the first place. “Years ago, there were more than 300 brands manufacturing in Ubrique. Now, there are maybe 40 and the big international brands dominate. Local brands struggle to compete.”
Historically, the leather supply chain sprawled across Ubrique. Around every street corner you could find another workshop, the sales office for a tannery in Catalonia, somewhere to buy threads, hardware, and finishings. It was a full ecosystem, self-contained within walking distance. But these auxiliary industries are struggling to stay afloat, as big brands circumvent local suppliers in favor of the preferred suppliers chosen by head office teams abroad. “A lot of the local tanneries and auxiliary businesses have disappeared because brands already have their preferred suppliers and they don’t want to buy anything else,” says Menacho Pérez.
Ubrique isn’t alone in this: many brands now consolidate raw material orders globally in a bid to shorten supply chains, improve efficiency, and keep costs down. Still, part of the impetus for Crush was to support these auxiliary industries before they close for good. “The leather is from Alicante, the zips are from Barcelona, the manufacturing is in Ubrique,” he says. “We are not just selling a product, we are selling a history. It’s about preserving our legacy, and everything our parents and grandparents taught us.”
Despite its challenges, Ubrique shows that it’s possible for heritage crafts to thrive in a hyper-optimized industry, and at a time when many are at risk of going extinct. It has mastered the delicate alchemy of attracting young people into factory-based roles, which is particularly rare in Europe, where higher wages often price brands out of local production, and young people have so many other options for employment.
But its success would be hard to replicate elsewhere: Ubrique’s leather industry is built on generations of know-how, preserved by consistent orders (local estimates suggest that leather work and its auxiliary industries employ 50-80% of the population).
No longer the industry’s hidden secret, homegrown brands like Stow and Crush, as well as international players like Strathberry, DeMellier and Polène, are quickly raising the profile of Ubrique, with behind-the-scenes social content revealing the making of their bags. Like so many of the changes Ubrique is navigating, it’s a catch-22. A higher profile means Ubrique is getting the recognition it deserves, but it also attracts more brands, putting a strain on capacity.
For now, Ubrique is enjoying the limelight. One worker I spoke to said it gives her hope for the future of the industry, putting craft on the pedestal it deserves. “When you walk into a store and choose a handbag, you might like the style, but you cannot imagine how many hands touched it, or how difficult it was to make,” she tells me. “I wish people knew what was involved. I’m so proud to live and work in Ubrique.”
